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Although he remained loyal to his Captain, his disillusionment with Bligh came at least in part from a flogging, in which he received 12 lashes for 'suffering his cleaver to be stolen'.

During the voyage of the Launch, he sided with Fryer in his disputes with Bligh. He was also the subject of an incident that occurred on 1 Jun 1789, according to Bligh's log. It was after 8:00 when the Launch stopped at the most southwesterly of the islands that Capt. Cook had named the 'Bird Islands'.

"At Sunday Island, named for the day of the week they landed on it, matters got worse and there was almost another mutiny. Besides those perennial trouble-makers, Fryer and Purcell, Fryer's brother-in-law young Robert Tinkler, Robert Lamb the butcher, George Simpson, Tom Hall the cook and the surviving quartermaster Peter Linkletter, all formed into an anti-Bligh group. Again the dispute was over food. Bligh sent out parties in different directions about the island. Some grumbled and said they were too weak or too ill to search for oysters, among them the master's mate Elphinstone, a firm Bligh ally and for this reason alone always a target for Fryer's nagging. Fryer at length went off with his party, muttering that is was every man for himself and there was no one too sick for the duty. When he returned to the boat later, carrying a bag of clams and oysters and some dog fish, he heard the sound of raised voices. His crony Purcell had arrived back first and Bligh was cursing him, while the carpenter was answering obscenity with obscenity.

"The failure to kill more than a few noddy birds and a handful of clams at this islet, brought about by the undisciplined behaviour of his men, was almost more than Bligh could bear. By making too much noise the turtling party succeeded only in driving them away before any could be caught. Then one of the bird-hunting party, Robert Lamb, who had been a constant trouble, went ahead and frightened the birds they found in a cove. Bligh gave him a good beating when he heard. Later the man boasted that he had eaten on the quiet no fewer than nine boobies raw." Captain BLIGH & Mister CHRISTIAN, by Richard Hough

In late 1789 or early 1790, Lamb boarded ship to return to England from Batavia, however, at some time during the voyage, he was stricken ill, and died before the ship arrived. He was buried at sea.